30,000 Migrants Face Abysmal Conditions in Greece

Number 309 | November 28, 2017

A surge of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to the Greek islands of Samos, Chios, Lesbos, Leros, and Kos in recent months has “created abysmal conditions…sparking accusations that EU and Greek authorities are leaving thousands of migrants exposed to disease, cold weather and violence as a deterrent to other would-be refugees.”

According to UNHCR estimates, 30,000 migrants are stranded in camps across Greece. Although Greek and EU officials have said they are stepping up efforts to provide additional housing, thousands of migrants are trapped in short-term reception centers originally intended for registration and identification purposes. On the islands of “Chios, Lesbos, and Samos, the centers house several times the intended capacity and many have been living in them for nearly two years.

With winter fast approaching, “local authorities refuse to allow bigger facilities to be built, leaving thousands living in summer tents that are mushrooming around the official facilities. Aid groups have struggled to persuade local hotels and apartment owners to rent out empty rooms to house the migrants.”

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a majority of the new arrivals to Greece are women and children from Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria. As the vulnerable population increases, “aid groups are urging authorities to move people to the mainland before winter sets in.”

Compared to the 30,000 migrants in Greece, there are currently over 3.4 million registered refugees in Turkey, making it the largest refugee host country in the world. Turkey has spent over $25 billion of its own resources on aid and shelter for refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

On November 27, 2017 European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos praised Turkey’s hospitality saying, “I would like, on behalf of the EU, to praise and commend Turkey once again for its tremendous hospitality and enormous humanity that it has shown towards these desperate people.”